Vespa USA Supports Breast Cancer Fund

As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month nears the midway point, several nonprofit agencies participating in Vespa USA’s Pink fund-raising program are reaching – and reaching for – impressive new milestones. The newest initiative underway is www.armyofwomen.org/Pink_Vespa_Contest from the Love/Avon Army of Women, a program of the Dr.

Susan Love Research Foundation, whose goal is to encourage members to recruit one million women to take part in breast cancer research. The top five individuals who recruit the most new members for the Army of Women will be entered into a drawing to win a pink Vespa LX 50.

Vespa USA is working with a number of women’s organizations as part of Lifetime Networks’ 15th annual National Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign, “Stop Breast Cancer for Life: The Power of 15.” Each agency received a donated pink Vespa LX 50 to help raise funds for their unique missions – from research and education to peer and resource support.

Consumers who want to help support these causes are invited to check out all the current Pink Vespa initiatives at www.vespausa.com.

PURSUING THE CURE: MILES TO GO BEFORE WE SLEEP

Large or small, professionally organized or grassroots; it is these nonprofit organizations that have put the national spotlight on breast cancer and garnered strong public and corporate support to fight the disease; by providing patients and affected families with important tools and resources. There is still much work to be done, and Vespa USA invites everyone to support these or any of the great ongoing efforts by individuals and companies alike.

Now through Nov. 23, 2009, the Army of Women is adding a special incentive to those helping the organization reach its goal of one million members.

The top five registered member recruiters will be entered into a drawing and will have a chance to win a limited edition pink Vespa LX 50 by recruiting the most new members during the specified dates. Official details for the contest can be found at www.armyofwomen.com. The winner also agrees to extend the reach of this campaign by using the pink Vespa to promote the Army of Women and documenting their recruitment journey through a blog on the Army of Women Web site.

Young Survival Coalition (YSC), an organization focused on women under 40 affected by breast cancer, is inviting supporters to become fans on their Facebook page. With a goal of recruiting 10,000 Facebook fans – currently their page has more than 9,000 – the YSC is rapidly approaching the finish line. Anyone who becomes a fan prior to Nov. 16, 2009, will be eligible to win the pink Vespa LX 50.

Vespa fans also have a chance to support breast cancer awareness by bidding and ultimately donating their purchase price to one of a number of online

auctions. Several auctions are ending soon, such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s (www.bcrfcure.org) online auction through charitybuzz.com – which ends Oct. 22, 2009.

Cup With Love (www.cupwithlove.org), an organization providing emotional support to anyone impacted by cancer; and Nueva Vida (www.nueva-vida.org), an organization that informs, supports and empowers Latinas whose lives are affected by cancer; are also raffling off a pink Vespa through their respective Web sites during October.

The Vespa Pink Campaign invites all current and future scooter fans to actively participate in one or all the Breast Cancer Awareness Month programs. Agencies adding a pink Vespa to their October fund-raising initiatives include: Breast Cancer Network of Strength, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Breastcancer.org, Bright Pink, Cup With Love, Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, The Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, My Vision Foundation, Nueva Vida, Prevent Cancer Foundation, SHARE and Young Survival Coalition. For more information on all of the participating breast cancer organization programs, visit www.vespausa.com and learn how to support unique breast cancer fundraising efforts around the country.

Breast cancer affects everyone. This year alone, 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States.

It is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 15 to 54, and nearly half of all Vespa riders are women. A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes and the disease claims a life every 13 minutes. These women are mothers, sisters and wives – but breast cancer also directly touches men. Every year almost 2,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer and 440 will die.